CHAPEL HILL – Six signees in North Carolina’s class of 2024 were already on campus practicing with the Tar Heels this past week, among them offensive lineman Jani Norwood.

At 6-foot-4 and 275 pounds, Norwood was a 3-star tackle at Eastern Randolph High School in Ramseur, NC. He and several other early enrollees met with the media the other day, and below is video and full transcript of our interview with him.

First, here is UNC’s signing day bio of Norwood:

• An early enrollee who is a three-star prospect ranked as the nation’s 52nd-best interior offensive lineman and the No. 17 player in North Carolina by Rivals

• A four-time all-conference, three-time all-county and two-time all-region performer

• A Shrine Bowl selection

• A four-year starter along the offensive line

• Finished his career with a 93.5% blocking grade and 232 pancakes, while only allowing four sacks

• Averaged 6.3 pancakes per game as a senior with a 95% blocking grade

• Posted 5.5 pancakes per game with a 92% blocking grade as a junior

• Also played basketball and baseball

• A four-time academic all-conference performer

• A member of the theatre dance group

• Coached by Burton Cates.

Early enrollees report January 8, and spring semester classes begin January 10.

***Full transcript below

Q: Why did you come early, and what are you getting out of being here so early?

NORWOOD: “I feel like coming early would be the best decision for me. I feel like, especially as an offensive lineman, it takes a while for them to develop and get the skills that they need to play. So coming in early would be the smartest thing for me just to be able to learn and be able to go out there and see how things run and operate before all the other guys get here.”

Q: A big thing you will undergo is the physical and weight aspect, your body will change over the next couple of years. When do you begin that process?

NORWOOD: “We haven’t started lifting weights yet, but we have started scanning my body and seeing what parts of my body I need to work on, talking about weight goals I need to be at certain times.”

Q: So, when you say they scanned your body, they want to know?

NORWOOD: “Like the percentage of fat on your body and stuff like that. It can also tell if you had any previous broken bones and stuff.”

Q: Is that kind of a wild thing, you’re in some sort of s-ray magnetic chamber?

NORWOOD: “You lay down flat, and there’s this thing that hovers over your body for like two minutes.”

Q: There’s no poking and prodding; there’s a soft spot, there’s a hard spot?

NORWOOD: “No.” (laughing)

Q: With the information, have they already put you under some kind of eating regimen?

NORWOOD: “Not yet because I just got mine today. I came a day later than the other guys (first five that arrived for bowl prep), so they (have) already started on it. But I haven’t started mine yet personally, but I will whenever we get back.”

Q: So, they’re going to give you an eating regiment, and there are the obvious do-nots. Have they told you a couple of things to stay away from starting now?

NORWOOD: “Not yet. I should be finding out something soon.”

Q: I’d like to ask about the theater dance group. (Norwood participated in a dance company in middle and high school)

NORWOORD: “I started doing dance in middle school. I hated it at first, but my mom made me keep doing it, and then it kind of grew on me a little bit. So, I just did it until I left for college. It was pretty fun. I’m still not that good of a dancer. I did the concerts and stuff like that. It was fun.”

Q: Have you seen the dancing benefit your game with foot work or anything?

NORWOOD: “Definitely. Because she usually has us go through a whole stress routine before we start dancing and stuff, so I definitely think it made me more flexible.”

Q: What kind of dancing was it?

NORWOOD: “It was like a mixture of all kinds of dance. We did hip-hop sometimes, sometimes we did ballet. But mainly since I was the biggest guy, I usually did all the duets with girls and had to lift them up and stuff like that.”

Q: Did your buddies razz you at all about it?

NORWOOD: “Nah. Actually, a lot of my friends started to get into it. So, we all started doing it together and we started going to concerts together.”

Q: How would you compare practices now to the high school level?

NORWOOD: “It’s definitely a step up from the competition I would say. And then just the practices… It is good to get into the environment. I feel like it’s way more energy at this level in practice. Everybody has high energy and getting after it.”

Q: How is the technical aspect of playing o-line at this level, and when you see the guys that are playing in the bowl game, are you (thinking) these guys are finished products?

NORWOOD: “Some of these guys after the bowl game are going into the draft (and are) playing for the draft. It’s definitely like that. It’s good to see it because you’re already learning it.”